CQR''s

BCC Forum
1

What size CQR is generally recommended for the BCC ? I have planned
on using a 35lb but I’m having second thoughts and wondering if
because of the displacement a 45lb would be more appropriate
Jim Hiller

2

I have the Lyle Hess 32 (just a bigger BCC) and used the 45# CQR which held in a hurricane in the Cocos-Keeling islands.  When in doubt, heavier is better, but realistically the #35 should do fine.  My boat weighed 28,800 fully loaded in NZ.

Lee Gunter

New World

 jameshiller48025 wrote:

What size CQR is generally recommended for the BCC ? I have planned
on using a 35lb but I'm having second thoughts and wondering if
because of the displacement a 45lb would be more appropriate
Jim Hiller





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3

— jameshiller48025 <jhiller@ameritech.net > wrote: >
What size CQR is generally recommended for the BCC ?

I have planned
on using a 35lb but I’m having second thoughts and
wondering if
because of the displacement a 45lb would be more
appropriate

If you’re intending to use a CQR on an all-chain rode,
such as 5/16" HT, then my experience suggests that a
35 lb CQR is fine and that a 45 lb CQR would be
overkill and unnecessary.

Our BCC28 (#116) displaces 17,000 lbs or more (we’ve
never been at the 14,000 lb design displacement). My
anchoring experience with her and with previous
displacement hull vessels, plus my reading of quality
research into anchoring, suggest:

  1. anchors seldom fail, but the bottom can fail to
    hold the anchor (ie anchors seldom break or bend)

  2. standard anchor recommendations (eg 35 lb CQR for a
    BCC28) are on the safe side (ie a smaller lighter
    anchor would do the job, albeit with a slightly lower
    safety margin)

  3. most anchoring failures (we need to distinguish
    between anchor failures and anchoring failures) are
    due to inadequate scope and bottom failure

and further

  1. for an all-chain rode, a 5:1 scope is fine for
    winds below 30 knots as long as you multiply the
    distance from the bottom to the anchor roller (not
    just the water depth) (and the problem in many
    anchorages is that you do not have sufficient swinging
    room to use a 5:1 scope, especially when you’re
    sharing the anchorage with planing hulls using warp
    instead of chain)

  2. a thin nylon snubbing line is essential to reduce
    snatch forces on an all-chain rode

  3. for winds above 30 knots, Professor J H Knox’s
    research indicated that the safe minimum rode can be
    easily determined as a multiplier of the expected wind
    strength (and that rode length remains more important
    than the weight of the anchor - of course 1. the
    problem of having sufficient swinging room remains and

  4. in a severe blow, if you hold position, the danger
    is other vessels dragging and colliding with you)

If you’re interested, I’ve a 2 page MS Word document
(about 92 K, because it includes a graphic), which
summarises what I know about anchoring our BCC28, that
I can send as an attachment (e-mail me at
bilh@pd.jaring.my if you want me to send you the
document). It includes Prof Knox’s multipliers,
applicable for a BCC28, for calculating rode length
when expecting severe (>30 knot) winds. And also
includes calculations, based on John Holtrup’s
spreadsheet, of the maximum horizontal force
sustainable at my recommended rode & depth
combinations. Units are metric.

Cheers

Bil

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4

Thanks Bill,
Seems that the 35 lb is fine. My doubts stemmed from the weight of the
BCC versus other boats of similar size. I do have all chain or 200
hundred feet that is.
Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: bil Hansen [mailto:bilh2001@yahoo.com.au ]
Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 9:53 PM
To: bcc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [bcc] CQR’s

— jameshiller48025 <jhiller@ameritech.net > wrote: >
What size CQR is generally recommended for the BCC ?

I have planned
on using a 35lb but I’m having second thoughts and
wondering if
because of the displacement a 45lb would be more
appropriate

If you’re intending to use a CQR on an all-chain rode,
such as 5/16" HT, then my experience suggests that a
35 lb CQR is fine and that a 45 lb CQR would be
overkill and unnecessary.

Our BCC28 (#116) displaces 17,000 lbs or more (we’ve
never been at the 14,000 lb design displacement). My
anchoring experience with her and with previous
displacement hull vessels, plus my reading of quality
research into anchoring, suggest:

  1. anchors seldom fail, but the bottom can fail to
    hold the anchor (ie anchors seldom break or bend)

  2. standard anchor recommendations (eg 35 lb CQR for a
    BCC28) are on the safe side (ie a smaller lighter
    anchor would do the job, albeit with a slightly lower
    safety margin)

  3. most anchoring failures (we need to distinguish
    between anchor failures and anchoring failures) are
    due to inadequate scope and bottom failure

and further

  1. for an all-chain rode, a 5:1 scope is fine for
    winds below 30 knots as long as you multiply the
    distance from the bottom to the anchor roller (not
    just the water depth) (and the problem in many
    anchorages is that you do not have sufficient swinging
    room to use a 5:1 scope, especially when you’re
    sharing the anchorage with planing hulls using warp
    instead of chain)

  2. a thin nylon snubbing line is essential to reduce
    snatch forces on an all-chain rode

  3. for winds above 30 knots, Professor J H Knox’s
    research indicated that the safe minimum rode can be
    easily determined as a multiplier of the expected wind
    strength (and that rode length remains more important
    than the weight of the anchor - of course 1. the
    problem of having sufficient swinging room remains and

  4. in a severe blow, if you hold position, the danger
    is other vessels dragging and colliding with you)

If you’re interested, I’ve a 2 page MS Word document
(about 92 K, because it includes a graphic), which
summarises what I know about anchoring our BCC28, that
I can send as an attachment (e-mail me at
bilh@pd.jaring.my if you want me to send you the
document). It includes Prof Knox’s multipliers,
applicable for a BCC28, for calculating rode length
when expecting severe (>30 knot) winds. And also
includes calculations, based on John Holtrup’s
spreadsheet, of the maximum horizontal force
sustainable at my recommended rode & depth
combinations. Units are metric.

Cheers

Bil

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  • Now send & receive IMs on your mobile via SMS

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5

We've used a 35# CQR as our primary anchor since '79 and found it excellent. We used all chain with 3/8 BBB chain in the beginning (West coast U.S.); all chain 5/16 BBB for a while on the East coast and switched to a chain/rope road (60ft 3/8 with 5/8 3-strand nylon) in the Caribbean.

For whatever reason we've run into boats that have had 45#  CQR's that had trouble keeping them set. Some of these boats were similar displacement(and windage) as the BCC and some slightly heavier. Maybe it's just coincidence. But for these personal experiences I won't use the 45; and I do think it is overkill.

Stan on Waxwing

 


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6

Hi James,
I cruised Mintaka II for 10 years in the south pacific. Did 36,000
nautical miles. Never had insurance. The boat represented most of my
net worth. Mintaka’s primary anchor is a 45# CQR on 250 feet of 3/8
hi-tensile chain. From the previous replies, this is overkill. Maybe.
I was caught at anchor in Rarotonga in a sudden squall one night. We
were all anchored with sterns tied to a concrete wall. I was second
from the corner. No dragging room. The wind clocked around through
the north (in a harbour open to the north) and we experienced some
kind of down burst. I forget the technical name for it, but it was a
gut wrenching experience. You only have to experience that once to
endorse the overkill option. There was no possibility of laying out
another anchor once this squall hit.
And there have been many other occasions were I was really glad to
have the extra weight and chain strength. Maybe I’d feel differently
if I was insurable and had insurance.
I should admit that we did drag one night. In Pago Pago harbour which
is somewhat notorious for the condition of the bottom. What surprised
me was that we were the only boat that night that dragged and we’d
been anchored there for three weeks already. The really scary part is
how fast a boat moves once the anchor decides to let go. The good
news was that we fetched up just before going ashore. Still floating
and able to re-anchor.
Good luck with your choice and good sailing.
Gary
Mintaka II

— In bcc@y…, “jameshiller48025” <jhiller@a…> wrote:

What size CQR is generally recommended for the BCC ? I have planned
on using a 35lb but I’m having second thoughts and wondering if
because of the displacement a 45lb would be more appropriate
Jim Hiller